Finally, John Elway doesn't have to imagine what it's like to win a Super Bowl any more. Not that he had been. After three defeats in the National Football League championship game, he didn't dare.

"I was afraid to imagine it," Elway said after his Denver Broncos defeated the defending champion Green Bay Packers 31-24. "To finally come out and show them . . . It's unbelievable. That was the ultimate win, there's no question."

The Broncos became the first American Conference team to win the Super Bowl in 13 years.

They became only the third team in NFL history to fail to win their division but go on to win the championship.

Most importantly, they avoided becoming the only NFL team to lose five Super Bowls and Elway avoided joining Buffalo's Jim Kelly as the only four-time losing quarterback.

"You wonder if you're going to run out of years," Elway said. "Fortunately, I hung on."